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Suspension basic questions

Posted: 01 Mar 2013, 21:30
by joac21
I now there are some main "settings" on a suspension such as

fast bump/rebound
and slow bump/rebound

so if a car dampers doesnt have springs, but torsion leaves. wich of these settings are controlled by the dampers and wich controlled by the torsion leaves ?

and in a case of a car having dampers and springs ???


thanks!!

Re: Suspension basic questions

Posted: 01 Mar 2013, 21:43
by Jersey Tom
High- and low-speed compression (bump) and rebound settings relate to dampers only. They are settings on the dampers themselves.

Ultimately all suspensions have springs - just a question of which kind. Coil springs, torsion bar springs, and leaf springs for example all exist in various car topologies.

Re: Suspension basic questions

Posted: 01 Mar 2013, 21:57
by joac21
but what does that springs relate to in terms of car handling ?

Re: Suspension basic questions

Posted: 02 Mar 2013, 06:23
by Drewd11
The main difference is packaging. Usually, whatever fits best is the first criterion, followed by whatever gives the lowest CoG along with other considerations such as the moment of inertia on yaw acceleration for example.
EDIT: I interpreted the OP's query as to the differences between different suspension springing systems: since whatever system you choose can be tuned to whatever compression force curve you like, the difference isn't in the components themselves but in how the springing components can be arranged to your advantage.

Re: Suspension basic questions

Posted: 02 Mar 2013, 13:58
by Jersey Tom
joac21 wrote:but what does that springs relate to in terms of car handling ?
Springs impact many things... ride quality... [aero] platform control... "understeer/oversteer" and "balance" ... general feeling of precision vs. lazy response through esses and chicanes...

Re: Suspension basic questions

Posted: 03 Mar 2013, 04:28
by Greg Locock
Basically, the softer the springs the better the traction on rough roads or off kerbs. But, if you have aero you need stiff springs, otherwise your ride height varies too much, and you need to control the ground clearance to get good underbody aero.
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If your suspension geometry is not very good it is often a good idea to limit the motion of the wheels, maintaining the squareness of the contact patch to the road is the first job of the suspension geometry, and stock derived suspensions often fail at this.